TIRED OF TIME OUTS?

5 DIFFERENT DISCIPLINE STRATEGIES THAT WORK (REALLY)

Reward charts, time-outs and the old naughty corner. These may be ageold methods to discipline unruly toddlers, but a new school of thought believes they’re not best for your child – or you. Welcome to the world of positive discipline, where there’s no shouting, no punishment, the word “no” is used as little as possible – if at all – and no child gets spanked, ever. Here’s the best part: it works.

Of course there’s a catch (there always is): whereas shouting at your toddler or sticking her in the naughty corner is quick and immediate, it takes far more time, patience and conscious effort to practise positive discipline.

But the results are well worth the effort in the long run, according to Mayim Bialik, the USbased parenting author and actress with a PHD in neuroscience, who maintains that positive discipline is good science. “It can work for every child and every parent, if only we invest the time and energy to make it happen with consistency, authenticity and love,” she says.

How exactly you “do” positive discipline differs from child to child. Like all parenting hurdles you have to cross – from weaning to sleeping and potty training – you have to try out a few methods until you find the one, or the mix of two or more, that works best for your toddler and you. As expert blogger Melanie Mayo-laaks writes on Mothering: The Home of Natural Family Living: “Every child and every situation is unique, so [positive discipline] tools are not one-size-fits-all but rather ideas to lean on to expand your parenting toolbox.” Here are five new tools to add to yours: